Wendy's slams McDonald's new spicy nuggets on Twitter, saying its rival 'must have scraped up all of BKs leftovers'
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
- On Tuesday, McDonald's announced it would launch spicy chicken McNuggets on September 16.
- Wendy's, the reigning spicy nugget champ, reacted to McDonald's announcement by tweeting, "Must have scraped up all of BKs leftovers and slapped mcprice on it."
- Twitter feuds can be an engine for viral marketing for fast-food brands.
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Twitter is abuzz after Wendy's savage takedown of McDonald's yet-to-be-launched spicy chicken nuggets.
Although McDonald's original chicken McNuggets are a beloved menu staple, Wendy's is the fast-food brand most famous for spicy chicken nuggets. Wendy's brought back its spicy nuggets last year after thousands of fans petitioned the chain for the cult-favorite item.
On Tuesday, McDonald's announced it would launch spicy chicken nuggets on September 16. One Twitter user asked Wendy's, "What are your feelings?"
—Wendy's (@Wendys) August 26, 2020
The shade did not end there. As Wendy's fans and McDonald's defenders slid into the comments, Wendy's let all the snark fly.
—Wendy's (@Wendys) August 26, 2020
—Wendy's (@Wendys) August 26, 2020
—Wendy's (@Wendys) August 26, 2020
The Wendy's Twitter account is famous for its unabashedly caustic insults aimed mostly at other fast-food chains. In February, when Burger King released a fries-only sandwich inspired by the chip butty, Wendy's tweeted "literally anything would be better on a bun than their beef."
Fast-food Twitter feuds are often an engine for viral marketing. The last feud between an incumbent chicken legend and a feisty newcomer was the Popeyes versus Chick-fil-A saga. Chick-fil-A's insistence on Twitter that its sandwich was the original — and the best — actually helped put Popeyes' chicken sandwich in the spotlight. Wendy's nugget noise could have a similar effect, depending on which spicy nuggets fans end up liking more.